Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Regal young eagle

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On the way home today I stopped by an open space area that I rarely visit and decided to take a walk not expecting much out of it. Much to my surprise, there was a young bald eagle perched in a tree.

It was incredibly tolerant of my presence – walked virtually directly underneath it, circled all around. He sat there for an hour letting me snap away. Just amazing!

My only regret… Because I wasn’t expecting to find anything, I didn’t bring my stool or tripod. My arms and legs got very, very tired! 

Regal young eagle. © Tony’s Takes
Regal young eagle. © Tony’s Takes

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The Chase: Great Horned Owl versus Magpie

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As you may have heard on the news, parts of Colorado were hit by a somewhat unusual May snowstorm yesterday. In its wake I figured I would go check on the local owl nest and see how the little ones were doing.

As it turns out, the three owlets weathered the storm (pun intended) just fine. While I was observing them I heard a commotion coming from a nearby tree and saw a lot of movement.  On further inspection I see mama or daddy owl being hassled by a rather persistent magpie that did not appreciate the big bird’s presence.

I captured a few shots of them sniping at each other and then the owl took flight with the magpie chasing it. Captured a few shots of the chase. Unfortunately they didn’t come out as sharp as I would have liked but it was pretty cool to see nevertheless. 

“The Chase.” A magpie chases a great horned owl. © Tony’s Takes

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Saturday photo shoot turns into a veritable hawk fest

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My usual Saturday morning wildlife viewing started out quite slow.  A drive through the Rocky Mountain Arsenal yielded little more than a curious deer but after heading north and east, hawks and owls clearly became the dominant subject.

Swainson’s Hawks were plentiful in the area north of Denver International Airport with many of them being more than willing to pose for me.  Most notably was a pair ‘caught in the act’ mating on a fence.

From there I headed to a known Great Horned Owl’s nest to check on the family.  The three owlets who aren’t too small anymore had worked themselves out of the nest and were lower in the tree.  Dad and Mom kept a watchful eye from nearby.

A female Swainson's Hawk flies by. © Tony’s Takes
A female Swainson’s Hawk flies by. © Tony’s Takes

 

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Mouse – It’s what’s for dinner

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Hawks have become quite plentiful along the Colorado Front Range this spring as they return from their winter grounds.  Today was a veritable hawk fast out near Denver International Airport.

Among the many images captured today was this Red Tailed Hawk with its kill.  It was initially perched on the pole, then swooped down to a nearby field and emerged with its meal. Unfortunately he didn’t want me to watch him eat and soon flew off before I could see it eat.

A Red Tailed Hawk stands on a pole with its catch. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Red Tailed Hawk stands on a pole with its catch. (© Tony’s Takes)

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There’s one in every crowd

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Getting wildlife to cooperate to get the ‘perfect shot’ is a losing battle.  I was reminded of this lesson while taking pictures of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday.

Colorado’s most popular national park never disappoints with its abundance of scenery and wildlife.  From sprawling mountain landscapes with 14ers to creatures big and small, all can be seen.

On this day I came across a small herd of elk grazing in a meadow.  Staying a safe distance away, I started snapping some pictures and they looked at me curiously.  Well, almost all of them did.

One of the five insisted on looking the opposite direction, never looking my way and preventing me from getting the picture I thought I wanted.  In the end though, I kind of like the image.

It showcases how even in the animal kingdom, there is at least one that just doesn’t get it.  😉

While most of the elk look on with curiosity, one refuses to pay the photographer any attention. (© Tony’s Takes)
While most of the elk look on with curiosity, one refuses to pay the photographer any attention. (© Tony’s Takes)

Canada goose silhouetted at sunset

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Photo opportunities just present themselves and the subjects oftentimes aren’t what you are looking for. Such was the case with this image.

I was at Metzger Farm in Broomfield, Colorado take pictures of a blue heron rookery.  Unfortunately the images of the herons I took were underwhelming but sunset provided other opportunities.

While taking pictures of the gorgeous sunset to the west, this Canada goose came swimming across the rippled surface of a pond.  It was perfectly backlit and the water was reflecting the orange sky above.

Canada goose silhouetted at sunset. (© Tony’s Takes)
Canada goose silhouetted at sunset. (© Tony’s Takes)

Photos © Tony’s Takes. Images are available for purchase as a print or for digital use. Please don’t steal, my prices aren’t particularly expensive. For more information contact me here.

Osprey, great blue heron and geese

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My usual Saturday morning photo shoot took me back to Longmont, Colorado to check out the osprey again.  As before, they were very compliant and provided some great shots – including many of them enjoying a sushi breakfast.

Making a guest appearance was a family of Canada geese and their newly hatched goslings as well as a great blue heron.

As you view the photos below, you will see the last nine photos are a sequence where one of the osprey has twine on its talons.  It was very interesting to watch.  I was focusing on one sitting on a pole when its mate came flying over.

It had some twine stuck to its claw and seemed pretty upset about it. It took back off and started dragging its claws in the water and then even did a belly skid in an attempt to get it off. It is pretty interesting to see. Glad it worked out.

Please disregard the poor quality of that series of images – it all happened so fast I didn’t have a chance to adjust the exposure on the fly.

An osprey makes a close fly by. (© Tony’s Takes)
An osprey makes a close fly by. (© Tony’s Takes)

 

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Photos © Tony’s Takes. Images are available for purchase as a print or for digital use. Please don’t steal, my prices aren’t particularly expensive. For more information contact me here.

A good day for a swim with the family

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A very mild day along the Colorado Front Range today made for a great day for outdoor activities.  In Longmont these Canada geese were taking their freshly hatched little ones for a swim.

A swim with the family. (© Tony’s Takes)
A swim with the family. (© Tony’s Takes)

Photos © Tony’s Takes. Images are available for purchase as a print or for digital use. Please don’t steal, my prices aren’t particularly expensive. For more information contact me here.

Swainson’s Hawks return to Colorado

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The Swainson Hawk is a truly beautiful bird with a wide variety of color / morph types.  The birds come to Colorado to mate during the spring and summer and I was very happy to discover a pair less than a half mile from my house in suburban Denver.

Near where I live there is a small open space area with a prairie dog colony and some old trees. I have always thought that would be a prime hawk area and at different times have thought I saw a couple hanging out but by the time I parked and got out they seemed to disappear. Not today.

A light morph male and medium / dark female were hanging around.  The male was more than willing to pose and seemed quite curious about me.  The female though was pretty skittish.  Hopefully this pair will make a home in the area.  Overall I am pleased with the photos but the overcast skies made it a bit of a challenge with lighting.

“What have we here?” A Swainson’s Hawk was quite curious about the photographer. (© Tony’s Takes)

 

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Photos © Tony’s Takes. Images are available for purchase as a print or for digital use. Please don’t steal, my prices aren’t particularly expensive. For more information contact me here.

Great Horned Owl nests begin running out of room

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As we get further into spring, wildlife becomes much more active – in more ways than one.  Most area Great Horned Owls have seen their eggs hatch and the owlets are getting bigger by the day as I saw at two different nests.

There are two nests that I have been observing near where I live in Adams County, Colorado.  For the first time in a couple of weeks I stopped by for a visit and was amazed at how quickly the owlets are growing.

At one nest, things are getting quite cramped for mama and her two offspring.  At another with three “little” ones, there is no room and two of them were camped out on a nearby branch.

“You lookin’ at me?” A young great horned owl was giving me the eye this morning. You can see mama behind it. There was another owlet in the nest as well but it was hunkered down out of sight. (© Tony’s Takes)

 

“Why is everyone looking at me?” That is almost what I was thinking as I took an evening drive to check out a nearby owl ‘s nest. Mama and two of her young were intently checking me out. There was a third but it was down in the nest behind them. (© Tony’s Takes)